Backyard Brahmas!!

[Katt66]

So...I've noticed that over the past couple of weeks my dark brahma cockerel is developing a limp.
He's around 17 to 18 wks old. I don't think he's jumped off of a roost and sprained anything because he tends to just sit on the coop floor to sleep at night. All roosts are well below 3 ft high too just to be on the safe side with the brahmas in mind.

I actually noticed the slight limp a while ago but chalked it up to growing pains. It's gotten noticeably worse the past couple of days though.
I checked him over. His feet are fine and nothing seems out of place or hot to the touch anywhere on his legs or hips.
Anybody have any ideas what it could be?

 

[big medicine]

So...I've noticed that over the past couple of weeks my dark brahma cockerel is developing a limp.
He's around 17 to 18 wks old. I don't think he's jumped off of a roost and sprained anything because he tends to just sit on the coop floor to sleep at night. All roosts are well below 3 ft high too just to be on the safe side with the brahmas in mind.

I actually noticed the slight limp a while ago but chalked it up to growing pains. It's gotten noticeably worse the past couple of days though.
I checked him over. His feet are fine and nothing seems out of place or hot to the touch anywhere on his legs or hips.
Anybody have any ideas what it could be?

You might read up on Marek's desease.

 

[Katt66]

He's from TSC though. They get their birds from Mt. Healthy. I thought hatcheries were a safe place to buy from :C

 

[big medicine]

If it does turn out to be Mareks, most likely blew in on the wind.

 

[Housemom408]

One of my 22 week old girls has started to sit in a nest. Not the ones I made for them, but the one I made for the ducks. That doesn't matter, I'm just excited to see one in a nest. Fingers crossed there will be an egg SOON!

 

[Katt66]

If it does turn out to be Mareks,  most likely blew in on the wind.

That's what I'm reading.
The nearest chickens I know of around here are like 5 miles away. But apparently wild birds can carry it too. Seems almost like myco. It rats. Pretty much guaranteed every animal comes into contact with it and there's no way around it really. Seems the best course of action may be to breed for resistance and resilience instead of trying to isolate and prevent really...

 

[carcar80]

Kicked the layers out of their run today and put The Partridge Family in so they don't have to be in their cage all day. Got ONE good shot out of about ten lol. They are impossible to keep still!

I definitely have two blue pullets and two gold pullets. The two cockerels are killing me because I can't tell what they are?? But oh well, I already have my gold cock anyway.

AND, the three 3-wk-olds are doing great with Mom. TWO of them appear to be getting little pullet-patterned wing feathers in. Fingers crossed!

 

[DSTchickencraze]

I don't know if anyone has answered your request, but i got my Brahma bantams at a hatchery... If you arent going for show stock, that might b a good route. Mypetchicken.com will sell and ship a minimum of 3 chicks.. and I've heard nothing but good about them.

We aren't looking for show stock. Just awesome little brahmas!

However I conveniently have a Japanese bantam hen thats gone broody. I might find some brahma hatching eggs (may get some from a hatchery, if I can't find someone else) and let her do everything. As long as the chicks don't end up in the house and mamma hen does it all then we're good

. Mom wasn't too happy with how many chicks were inside the house a few weeks ago.

Thank you for the suggestion

 

[bigscottk]

Back in March when I got my order from Murry McM my free exotic chick turned out to be a Dark Brahma. One our daughters named her "Moth" because as a chick our daughter said that she had the coloring of a Moth!
Now here we are about 4 1/2 months later & we've got this super big, gargantuan actually, UGLY pullet running outside! In the order that this Dark Brahma came in was a bunch of Pearl White Leghorns. When Moth is around those girls she reminds me of the "Stay Puff Marshmallow Man" from Ghostbusters except that she's a whole lot uglier! Poor Moth is one of the clumsiest chickens I've ever seen! But then when your legs are long enough for a Leghorn to run through them I guess a little clumsiness should be expected!
BTW- Did I mention that Moth is UGLY? Poor Moth is one of the UGLIEST chickens I've ever seen! But she is a blast to watch just to see what she's going to do next & how the other pullets are going to scramble to get out of her way so they don't get stepped on!
Oh yea, now here's my question. Since Moth is so UGLY, anyone think that she'll do the "Ugly Duckling" thing when she molts & turn into a nearly 10 pound beauty? If so, that would be really awesome! Our daughter might even allow me to take her picture with poor Moth again!
Thanks!
P.S. Moth laid her 1st egg today! It was about 1 1/4 inches long & a beautiful deep mahogany color. No idea what we'll do with that tiny of an egg, but it is cool to look at! I've had chickens off & on since the late 60's & the egg Moth gave us today was the smallest I've seen from a Chicken!

 

[Housemom408]

It finally happened

My girls are 23 weeks old. I thought it would never happen.